Santa Rosa Symphony Showcases Music Director Candidate Steven Smith And Pianist Kirill Gerstein

News Release Contact: Sara Obuchowski, (707) 546-7097 ext 218

December 15, 2005

Santa Rosa, CA) öThe search continues for Santa Rosa Symphonyâs next music director with the appearance of Steven Smith as guest conductor on January 21, 22 and 23 at the Luther Burbank Center. Smith is the 6th candidate to audition in the Santa Rosa Symphony search process which began last February. Smith opens the program with Mozartâs passionate Symphony No. 38 and 2005 Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Steven Stuckyâs Dreamwaltzes, and continues with Lisztâs 2nd piano concerto, featuring Russian-born rising star Kirill Gerstein. The program ends with Bartokâs The Miraculous Mandarin, a piece which evokes a drama of ruffians, brothels and exotic strangers.

The 44-year-old Steven Smith has been music director of the Santa Fe Symphony & Chorus since 1999. He also serves as music director of the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, an ensemble devoted to the performance of contemporary music. From 2002-05, he served on the faculty of the Oberlin Conservatory, leading both orchestral and operatic performances. From 1997 to 2003, Smith was assistant conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra. Particularly interested in the role of orchestras in arts education, he assisted in the planning and conducting of the Cleveland Orchestraâs educational and family concerts and hosted the orchestraâs annual broadcast video-conference, which won an Emmy Award in 2001. For five seasons, he was music director of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra, and served as the associate conductor of the Kansas City Symphony from 1996-98. Smith has guest conducted with numerous prestigious orchestras and is also an active ASCAP award-winning composer.

Kirill Gerstein was winner of the 2001 Arthur Rubinstein Piano Competition and chosen to receive a 2002 Gilmore Young Artist Award, an honor given to young pianists who have demonstrated significant potential to develop outstanding performing careers. The 26-year old Gerstein was part of the 2002 Gilmore Piano Festival, Raviniaâs Rising Star Series and Boston Conservatoryâs Piano Masters Series. He was born in Voronezh, Russia, where he attended one of that countryâs special music schools for gifted children. He won his first competition (the International Bach Competition in Gorzuw, Poland) at the age of 11 and earned both his Bachelor and Masters of Music degrees by the age of 20. Gerstein began his career studying and playing both jazz and classical music. Following his participation in the Boston University summer program at Tanglewood in 1995 and 1996, he decided classical music would be his main focus.

The January 21-23 performances of the Santa Rosa Symphony Classical Series are underwritten by Mr. and Mrs. Evert Person. Guest pianist Kirill Gerstein is the Ruth Finley Person Memorial Artist.

Santa Rosa Symphony concerts are Saturday and Monday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. at the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts (formerly Luther Burbank Center) in Santa Rosa. Concert Conversations with Steven Smith begin in the concert hall one hour prior to performances, and are made possible by Quivira Estate Vineyards and Winery.

The popular Discovery Series of open rehearsals continues at 2 p.m. on January 21. These concerts, priced at $10 for adults, $6 for youth, offer a sneak peek into the final rehearsal process before each concert set. Audiences for Discovery concerts enjoy free Krispy Kreme donuts at intermission.

Call (707) 546-8742 for tickets or visit the Symphony Box Office on the first floor of the North Coast Bank building at 50 Santa Rosa Avenue, Santa Rosa, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday. Tickets may also be purchased at the door 1¸ hours before each performance on a space-available basis. Single tickets are $27-49, with senior discounts available. $7 Student Rush tickets (to students showing school I.D. can be purchased a half hour prior to curtain.

Heading
Classical

Who
Santa Rosa Symphony 

Dates and Times
Sat., January 21, at 8 p.m.
(Discovery Rehearsal, Sat. January 21 at 2 p.m.)
Sun., January 22 at 3 p.m.
Mon., January 23 at 8 p.m.

Symphony Concert
Steven Smith, conductor and music director candidate
Kirill Gerstein, guest soloist, piano
Pre-concert talk featuring Steven Smith, one hour before each performance

Program
Mozart: Symphony No. 38, Prague
Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 2
Stucky: Dreamwaltzes
Bartok: Suite from The Miraculous Mandarin

Venue
Luther Burbank Center for the Arts
50 Mark West Springs Road
Santa Rosa, CA

Cost
Single tickets $27-49

Tickets
(707) 54-MUSIC [546-8742]